Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion
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So, how is Goodreads doing?
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Losing some favorite posters was the biggest negative to me in the changeover from AOL. On the positive side, the ability to post an entire book for you to read was the best change. Since I don't utilize many of the available features here on Goodreads, I can't judge their value. As a general comment I think the old AOL group was somewhat more personal in nature while this Goodreads group is more tightly focused on books and reading.
I agree with Dan, I don't utilize many of the features on Goodreads. The AOL group felt more like family. I tried to talk DaveBlues into coming here, but he won't because of the connection to Facebook. He and I are active on the Delphi M/T and Kindle boards.
Just wanted.to say, it's a good thing we have Goodreads because AOL is closing down their boards onFeb. 20th. I wish there was a way to mark all read.
The only thing I miss about AOL is the people who didn't come over here. I see a few of them on Facebook, but really miss Jan O'Cat! I like the bookshelf features here on GR and use them all the time. It's nice to have a way to keep track of what I've read that backs up my spreadsheets! And I really liked the bookswap here until they discontinued it.
Is that right, Amy? I wondered about AOL, I know there were a handful of people still on the M/T board there but I haven't checked in in a few years, go to AOL mostly to check a little-used email account.I would love to read an analysis of why AOL abused its message boards the way it did. I guess they couldn't find a way to make them profitable, it always comes down to money.
Amy wrote: "Just wanted.to say, it's a good thing we have Goodreads because AOL is closing down their boards onFeb. 20th.
I wish there was a way to mark all read."
Melodie, do you use paperbackswap.com? Is that different from the GR swap?Melodie wrote: "The only thing I miss about AOL is the people who didn't come over here. I see a few of them on Facebook, but really miss Jan O'Cat! I like the bookshelf features here on GR and use them all the ..."
Amy wrote: "Just wanted.to say, it's a good thing we have Goodreads because AOL is closing down their boards onFeb. 20th. I wish there was a way to mark all read."
amy - there is, but don't tell carol.
at the bottom of the page where your unread posts show up, there's something that says mark all read.
i really don't miss the old aol boards. i've acclimated well to goodreads and love being able to keep track of my books here. once we figured out how to use the board, it's easy! i also like the give-aways, even though i haven't won anything in awhile, i have gotten some good books here.
Sherry wrote: "amy - there is, but don't tell carol.
at the bottom of the page where your unread posts show up, there's something that says mark all read. ..."
I don't think this appears on my version of GR, LOL.
I'm happy enough with Goodreads, I belong to enough different groups that I can live with many forms. I was sorry to lose some people in the switch, as I was sorry when some members left when we were still AOL.My biggest lament though is that we are truely national, so we cannot all get together for lunch.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Melodie, do you use paperbackswap.com? Is that different from the GR swap?Melodie wrote: "The only thing I miss about AOL is the people who didn't come over here. I see a few of them on Facebo..."
I am on Paperbackswap but don't do much there and only have about a half dozen books or so listed there. I have a bunch of credits because books I want seldom come up on there. I had a really bad experience on there earlier this month and once I use up my credits I won't be on there anymore. GRs bookswap was much more to my liking as the person requesting the book paid for the postage.
I love GR. I feel that some of the family feeling on our AOL board transferred to this one because of the people who are still with us. We have shared memories and vocabulary like "benches", RIO, UOOOR and NTMA. I'm sorry about the people we don't see anymore. I like being a GR librarian and helping to maintain the database. I like being able to go to GR Feedback, see discussions of problems and the answers of GR staff. I love that GR staff is so responsive. Last and certainly not least, I like the locals I've met through GR that I can get together with in RL.
I'm glad Cheryl found a new home for us ;) I miss some of the old regular posters too. I think about Margie every time I drive through Lawrence and wonder how Bill is doing too. I don't post much here, but I do check the conversations every day.
I love the shelves, the links to books, the reviews and being able to me on many groups all in one place i\
I had a hard time adjusting to the new boards, but i love it now.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Sherry wrote: "amy - there is, but don't tell carol.
at the bottom of the page where your unread posts show up, there's something that says mark all read. ..."
I don't think this appears on my v..."
carol,
i am sure that it doesn't.
Susie in KS wrote: "I'm glad Cheryl found a new home for us ;) I miss some of the old regular posters too. I think about Margie every time I drive through Lawrence and wonder how Bill is doing too. I don't post muc..."I've wondered about Margie a bunch of times. I know she had some health issues and hope she is still reading up a storm.
Carol - excellent questions! I loved the old AOL MT Book Board (and the Hardboiled Board and a couple of others) but I love Goodreads even more for the huge book community, and that it is a one stop source for everything I need when researching books. I set up prioritized custom links to my library, Amazon or audible.com which are accessible from any book page here and enjoy leaving my reviews, comments and status updates in a forum where others can comment and I can see what others have said about books I am interested in. The message boards on AOL were for all kinds of different focuses and for AOL we were a bit of an afterthought, even when Bookreporter sponsored us, and especially when they removed the boards that infamous time that led to the mass migration. It is nice to be together on a place where they listen to feedback and add features when they can and have such a nice stable environment. Just look at how GR has bent over backwards and has so many dedicated Librarian volunteers to adapt to the recent database changes.
Just like everyone else, I deeply miss the regulars who didn't come over to Goodreads. I think of Margie our own Misanthrope, and Julie, and Ms. O'Cat of course, along with so many others who are seen here much less often or not at all.
I hated threaded posts at first, and feel we lost a conversational style without being able to communicate freestyle and unthreaded, but I have adapted quite nicely to threaded style and can easily mark all read on an unfamiliar board (never here of course) or mark unread to return - it is certainly easier to research an old posts this way and in fact I love gong back to find comments here.
I like the mobile options and the way GR has kept up with the various ways we connect.
And lastly I love the bookshelves. The flexibility to organize books, see statistics, compare books and keep up with new and back listed works are simply great - I do not go a single day without visiting Goodreads at least once, and am always excited to see that we have at least a couple of new posts here most days.
Like other's I miss the ones who didn't join us. Think about them often. The only thing with aol I have is the free email. I love being able to do the bookshelves (even though it will take me forever to bring everything up to date) I've been not as active her as I used to be on the aol m/t board I still get the emails for the few threads I keep up with and do get back to the board every once in awhile to go though everything. I'm on alot more boards now again not doing all the threads just a few select. some of us might have complained alot and hated the idea of moving here but now after all the years have past (seems like yesterday) we got used to it. I've only got one book so far on the giveaways but every once in awhile I give the a try. I think maybe to a point we might have lost some of the family feeling. I can't say for sure what the different feeling is. I think we all have been here for each other though the years in the same way though thick and thin with our comments or prayers or whatever it may be. so that is all the same.
Donnajo wrote: "I think maybe to a point we might have lost some of the family feeling. I can't say for sure what the different feeling is. I think we all have been here for each other though the years in the same way though thick and thin with our comments or prayers or whatever it may be. so that is all the same. .."You are so right, DJ. I remember the gift I received from the gang after my mom died, to plant a tree in her name. I used it to develop a little plant cluster in the front of the house and think of you all from time to time when I admire it.
I'm like Dan I don't many of the features but what I do use I like. Like Dan I do miss the posters we lost and I agree AOL was more like a group of friends having a conversation
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Can you believe we've been on Goodreads for over 4 years? I joined in November 2008, and I think that was not too long after Cheryl created the group for us, as we were seeing the handwriting on t..."Well, in theory I love Goodreads. Practically, though, I'm not here nearly as often as I was on the aol boards. Part of it is I had a job change five years ago and I'm just too busy at work. And I have a daughter and four year old granddaughter who live with me while the mom is in nursing school. In short, I'm not on a computer at home nearly as much. I like reading posts chronologically and find Goodreads isn't conducive to "just dropping in."
Melodie wrote: "The only thing I miss about AOL is the people who didn't come over here. I see a few of them on Facebook, but really miss Jan O'Cat! I like the bookshelf features here on GR and use them all the ..."I love the bookshelves as well. I wish Kindle connected with Goodreads.
Kindle doesn't connect with Goodreads, but there are some books that can be purchased and downloaded from Goodreads, and then e-mailed to Kindle if the author makes them available in mobi or pdf format.
Cathy: I can't disagree that Goodreads isn't quite the same as dropping in on the old AOL MT board, for one thing I can't seem to get away from Goodreads and book related sites after I get started! Seriously though, I do miss the chronological conversation "non-threaded" threads we had going with a wider group of people. It is always good whenever we can find time to check in! Cathy wrote: "I like reading posts chronologically and find Goodreads isn't conducive to "just dropping in."
Carol: actually I am used to reading threaded now. I am able to adapt to what is presented online pretty well as long as I find a method to keep up. I still feel like there may be conversations dropped and never picked up with threaded posts (if I don't go back and check on all of the which would be a daunting task.) I have found Goodreads to be very responsive and a friendly place. Even the switch from using Amazon as the source for book info a few weeks ago was a lot smoother than I expected it to be, it is from a lot of people all working together - an amazing and welcoming thought!Carol/Bonadie wrote: "are you used to reading threaded now? "
I always liked reading threaded, so that aspect hasn't bothered me. I guess for me Goodreads involves a little more "work". My life changed quite a bit about the time we came here so that has had a lot to do with my participation. I still lurk from time to time. Miss those we lost...
I miss our absent friends too, Lynne. I hope you can drop in as often as you can.Lynne in PA/Lineepinee wrote: "I always liked reading threaded, so that aspect hasn't bothered me. I guess for me Goodreads involves a little more "work". My life changed quite a bit about the time we came here so that has had..."
This morning as I previewed a post and went back to edit it, I found myself reflecting on our switch from AOL to GR and the nifty features we now have, as well as the things we left behind on AOL that GR has never quite matched. Which lead me to the online buddies I run into from time to time who say "I never quite caught on to GR." I miss those formerly frequent-on-AOL posters, like Maria and Janny G and Jan O'Cat and Kymberlee (and Don) and Nancy Hardcovers.
So, I put it to those of you who migrated from our M/T board on AOL... have you adjusted? What do you appreciate about GR? What do you still miss about AOL, if anything?
I will offer the abovementioned ability to edit posts. I remember lamenting on AOL about not being able to do that, or to delete our own posts.
I'm sure I'm not alone in missing the ability to mark certain posts unread so you could come back to them later. GR's attempt to do this by allowing you to mark a thread "unread" helps, but is still cumbersome.
I also remember the debate about reading threaded vs reading posts as they are posted chronologically. For those whom it bothered, do you still miss it or are you used to reading threaded now?